For those who love to eat food, watch food, poke food, play with food, stare intently at their food, dream of food and cannot live a second of their life without thinking about it... yes! it is that obsessive!!! An unpretentious blog where my latest discoveries about restaurants, books, events or anything about gastronomy will be discussed! Hungry monsters beware!

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Saturday, February 13, 2010

Interesting books about food (pff... obviously!)

In the past years, I have accumulated quite some books concerning food. Personally, I preferred much more books that discuss the why and the how of food than just plain recipes! Yes, they can be useful but seriously, I don't use recipes that much! I like to improvise :) I prefer to understand the science and chemistry behind the cooking of a plate and experiment with trial and error. And trust me, it is so fun!!!! Here are some books that captured my attention (some are in french)

Molecular Gastronomy - Exploring the Science of Flavor

Hervé This

Hervé This is the pioneer in Food Science. He is the one that defined 'Molecular Gastronomy'. In this book, he explained the scientific components behind some problems and some phenomena that happens in our kitchen. Why is my chocolate turning white? What is the optimal temperature for a perfect crème caramel? Why is there some crystals in my ice cream? This book is written for the general public, so don't be scared by the scientific terms!

What Einstein Told His Cook - Kitchen Science Explained

Robert L. Wolke

Again, a light and captivating books of facts written in humorous way, What Einstein Told his Cook covers the theory behind some techniques and shows some applications of these theories with interesting recipes!

François Chartier is a world-known sommelier and has worked with the prestigious restaurant in Spain, El-Bulli. He is the first person ever to write about the flavor chemistry which hides behind the pairing of wine and food. He explains through schemes and recipes how some aromas can be paired up and why they make such a perfect marriage. This book has been positively reviewed uncountable times and I highly recommend it for any foodie which loves having a good glass of wine while enjoying a delicious meal.

La Chimie des Desserts

Christina Blais

I just absolutely love this book!!!! Everytime your cake cracks or you fudge is not smooth enough, you always get frustrated and just don't understand why oh why it is happening!!! Well, this books illustrate extremely well the common errors in baking and how to prevent it or even better, repair it! There are troubleshootings and solutions for every kind of sweets and recipes which shows you the right way to do it! Never again will you fail your soufflé! No no no! :)

L'Essentiel de l'Épicerie

Johanne Despin et Denis Gagné, Radio-Canada

L'épicerie is a french tv shows which explains some products, test some cookware and compare brands of food. This show was one of the reasons why I went into food science. Seriously. Amazing. Everything you always wanted to know. Which fast food has more fat? What is the difference between artificial vanilla and the real thing, can we really detect the difference? How do make donuts at Krispy Kreme? Are energetic drinks really bad for us? You can watch the shows directly on the website of Radio-Canada: http://www.radio-canada.ca/emissions/l_epicerie/2009-2010/, I really think they should make DVDS. I will so buy them. Meanwhile, I have the book :)

How to be a better foodie - A Bulging Little Book for the Truly Epicurious

Sudi Pigott

You want to look cool and impress your friends with your high class foodie terms? Well, this is perfect for you! From what a foodie should read to what a real foodie should have in his kitchen, this little book can teach every little secret of a true foodie! Very entertaining and great subjects for conversation starters ;)

So yep! Those are some of my books that I like a lot. I will post others later on...